# Muslim voters back a candidate they disagree with > At a Detroit convention, Muslim voters told Fox News they reject Abdul El-Sayed's social positions and plan to vote for him regardless. - Title: Muslim voters back a candidate they disagree with · Fox News - Summary: At a Detroit convention, Muslim voters told Fox News they reject Abdul El-Sayed's social positions and plan to vote for him regardless. Foreign policy and… - Keywords: michigan, muslim voters, senate race, el-sayed, 2026 midterms, news, politics, Muslim, voters, back, candidate, disagree - Source: Fox News — https://foxnews.com/politics/el-sayeds-liberal-agenda-clashes-muslim-voters-who-back-him-anyway-male-version-ilhan-omar - Author: Robert Schmad - Published: 2026-09-14T00:00:00+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: michigan, muslim voters, senate race, el-sayed, 2026 midterms, news, politics ## A vote without agreement Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan's Democratic Senate nominee, has Muslim voters who oppose his stances on abortion and LGBTQ rights but say they will vote for him anyway. ## A Democrat with a Muslim mask One convention attendee, speaking anonymously to avoid social reprisals, compared El-Sayed to Rep. Ilhan Omar and said he still wants him elected for the representation. > Basically he's like Ilhan Omar, but like a male version. ## Detroit, Labor Day weekend Fox News Digital spoke with about 10 attendees at the Islamic Society of North America convention, where El-Sayed gave the marquee speech amid controversy over other speakers. ## Where the positions clash El-Sayed backs codifying Roe, funding Planned Parenthood, LGBTQ-inclusive sex education, and sex-change operations for children. Islamic theology generally reads abortion, gender and sexuality more restrictively. ## A Trump voter switching sides A Navy veteran said he votes Republican on values but feels abandoned after 2024, pointing to foreign wars and the cost of living as reasons he is backing El-Sayed. > I voted for Donald Trump. When it comes to values, I'm a Republican. But unfortunately they have betrayed us. ## Follow the tax dollars Longtime supporter Zubin said spending on foreign wars and other countries is the issue driving voters, and not only Muslim ones. > A lot of these tax dollars are going to support foreign wars, support countries that aren't the United States. ## The math in November Trump did unusually well with Michigan Arab Americans in 2024. A sharp drop there could hurt GOP Senate hopes, though Republicans are courting disaffected Jewish Democrats in return. ## Many had no idea Some attendees learned of El-Sayed's social positions only when asked about them, and one predicted his support would slip if those views were better known in the community. > Wait, he's supporting LGBTQ? I don't really think that's good, especially because this is Islam and it prohibits LGBTQ. ## A generational split Zubin said younger Muslims sit closer to El-Sayed on social questions than their parents and grandparents do, and called the resulting friction natural and likely to be debated. > There may be a little bit of friction, but this is natural. ## Looking past the 5 to 10 percent Fauzi framed the disagreements as a small share of the whole, arguing El-Sayed's impact on education and health care matters more for Michigan and the country. > 5-10% of the issues, people may differ. But we have to look at the big picture. ## Key takeaway Foreign policy and cost of living are outranking social issues for these voters, enough to move some 2024 Trump supporters to a progressive Democrat.